


Returned and Lost

by sharadaskye



Series: Team Rocket's Leader [2]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Aftermath sorta of previous work, M/M, Mystery, Team Rocket - Freeform, new personality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-07-20 23:55:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16148237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharadaskye/pseuds/sharadaskye
Summary: Garrett is looking into the disappearance of a local mathematics professor and Gym Leader of the Celadon City Gym. It looks like Team Rocket's involved, but when the man returns, his behavior seems to be quite different than before the incident. What is the professor trying to do?





	1. The Bar

Garrett was stumped for the first time on a case in a long time, as the current one he was investigating had no clues to go off of. The disappearance of the Celadon Gym leader and mathematics professor seemed like an easy case, as the typical disappearances he investigates falls into two main categories: either the person missing intended to disappear for whatever reason, and the other is that they were captured by one of the local Team Rocket gangs. 

However, this case seemed more complex as for the first week he was certain the Gym Leader was involved with Team Rocket. The reports of Pokemon being stolen after losing the battle were rampant for months before the disappearance. While this was reprehensible, the Celadon Police department was clearly influenced by Team Rocket as well, with the casino clearly a front for their base. 

Figuring that the disappearance had coincided with the rumors that Team Rocket abandoned their base in the city meant this was an easy case to close. The mathematics professor’s trip to Saffron City had taken an interesting turn when the man entered the Silph Co building, and from there the pieces fell into place. 

It started off with a capture, but then a series of events followed that Garrett could not explain. The mathematics professor returned a month ago, and acted like nothing happened. He resumed running the Gym, taking it back from Erika who was running it in the meantime, returned to teaching mathematics that never made sense to the detective, and participating in the Celadon City clean up project, to remove the last traces of Team Rocket from their city. 

He started by interrogating the bar owner of the local bar that the professor frequented. He got in easily. He dropped his pen purposefully, and maneuvered himself to lean over, presenting his ass to the tall, tattooed bouncer. It was a simple process, and one he adapted to suit various situations depending on the person. Since he could tell this man was a dominant top, the detective used his assets to his advantage. Before he could enter, the bouncer handed him a card, and one that he pocketed for now, as he never indulged in pleasure while working.

“What’ll it be?” The cigar smoking man asked roughly, blowing the smoke up into the air vents above him. “A man like you could use a stiff drink.” 

“I’m not here to drink unfortunately.” He pulled out a picture of the missing professor, and handed it to the bartender, “Have you seen this man in your establishment before?” 

“Oh, him. Yeah, he’s been in here almost every night for the past month. Orders the same thing each night, and waits around like he’s looking for someone to join him.” The bartender laughs, a deep laugh that causes his big chest to bounce. Garrett would need to remember this bar for future nights whenever he isn’t working cases in the area. 

“Anything you can tell me about him? He was missing for half a year, and then last month he shows up like it was just an extended weekend.” Garrett pocketed the picture into his moleskine notebook, turning to a blank page, and began noting what the bartender listed about the man. 

“Not much other than his drink order, as nobody else has ever asked for that drink.” Taking another drag from the cigar, blowing the smoke up and away from the patron before him, he continued, “He would sit there in that empty booth next to the window, order the drink, and then watch the room for half an hour. Never finished the drink, but always paid for it and left a sizeable tip. So far he’s one of my best regular customers. I’m a bit surprised that he hasn’t shown up yet. He gets here after the Gym closes at 7pm.” 

“You know an awful lot for a bartender, does he ever talk to anyone?” 

“When he drops $100 for a $20 drink each night, you learn to recognize people like that. He’s a bit of a loaner, as other than myself or the bouncer, he doesn’t speak much. Although…” He paused, taking the last drag from the cigar and putting it out into the ashtray. The residual smell caused Garrett to pull away from it in disgust, which the bartender apologized for.

“Although?” 

“He’s a bit of a slut. No offense. He’s been taken by my bouncer every night after he leaves, and I’ve heard the rumors that some more questionable people tell me. Again, this is just a rumor, but he was taken by Team Rocket to be their personal slut, and now that the Team was disbanded a few months ago, he’s been looking for their leader Giovanni.” 

Garrett’s pen was furiously writing down every word, trying to piece together all of the information the bartender was providing with his current working theory. Despite it being a rumor, it made sense and it worked with the facts he currently had. 

“Has he ever asked you for those favors? Any other patron he’s been with?” 

“Yeah, he has. I wasn’t interested so I turned him down. I run an establishment here, and it won’t do me any good to have my conquests behind the bar.” Another pause, this time the bartender pulled out another cigar and lit it up despite knowing how the other man felt about the smell. “It’s my one weakness, but I know it’s not for everyone, hence the industrial vents above the bar.” 

“That’s fine. Back to the professor, has he been with anyone else here that you’ve seen?” 

“Yeah, a couple guys. I can describe them for you, but I don’t know their names.” At the urging of the detective, the bartender described a few men that he had seen the professor with, besides the bouncer. 

The first dressed in a very professional and clean attire, usually accompanied by a suitcase or travel duffel bag. With blue and pink hair, the man was built like a statue and had an interesting design on his shoulders. The stripes were also blue and pink, but looked like they came from the military. 

The second man the bartender described was clearly a wanted man, as he wore a green hat and light green mask that was never removed, even when his drink arrived. He used straws and refused to take it off when the bouncer asked about it. 

And the final man was eerily similar to Garrett. The main difference was the other man had red and yellow hair and from the way he was described, seemed frustrated about the way the professor was behaving. 

Garrett didn’t need a name for the first or third man, as he knew the pilot and detective well enough from the way the bartender described them. However, the masked man would be easy to describe, but depending on where he was going to, the man may have already left the city. 

“Thank you for that…” Garrett paused, blushing deeply, “I apologize, I don’t think I ever got your name.” 

“Weston.” 

“Thank you for the information Weston. You’ve proven a wealth of knowledge, may I leave my card with you if you notice anything strange about the professor?” 

“Sure, but I’m not going to throw my best paying customer away without just cause. If you want to meet him, if you stick around long enough, he’d offer to let you fuck him sooner or later.” Weston laughed again.

“Not interested, but thanks for the information. Do you mind if I ask your bouncer some questions as well?” 

“Be my guest. Next time you show your face here, you’re getting a drink whether you want it or not.” 

Garrett thanked the man again, and stood up from the bar. It seemed that the professor’s behavior was unstable, which seemed to be due to Team Rocket’s influence. If the stability of the Team was removed, it made sense that the man would spiral and take up random men to satisfy the need he has.

He stood next to the bouncer, waiting for him to finish letting people into the bar, before asking his questions. The fewer people that could overhear them the better. Once all the people waiting in the line were allowed inside, he tapped the man’s broad shoulders. 

“It’s about the professor isn’t it? You’re not the only detective to weasel their way inside to ask about him.” 

“So I heard. Do you know much about the professor?” 

“Not much. He’s got an ass that can take a cock like no other, he begs to be roughed up in bed, and loves collars.” He explained bluntly, not one to mince words or beat around the bush. 

“I see, so you’ve had sex with him?” 

“On multiple occasions, but even a man like me can’t seem to satisfy his need and I’m not lacking in that department either.” It was clear from the obvious bulge in the bouncer’s pants that Garrett was playing with fire earlier. Had the bouncer wanted to, his ass would be destroyed should he have teased him too much. 

“Relax Mr. Detective. I may be rough with the professor, but that’s only because he asks - no _begs_ for it. I’d be gentle with you if you asked me to. You can’t demand submission, it has to be given, and boy does the professor willingly submit.” 

“That’s..” he coughs a bit to clear the image of the bouncer fucking him out of his mind, “good to know. Have you seen him with any other men besides the pilot, outlaw, or other detective?” 

“Once. He didn’t come to the bar, but I did see him walking with a man with white hair and a bowl cut. I don’t know what the professor is after, as the man he was with looks like he hasn’t been out in the sun for years.” 

“Okay, that’s great! Anything else? Like where does he go to with the guys? A direction would be very helpful.” 

“I know where they go. He brought me there twice, as we usually do it in the alley as I’m still on the clock.” Garrett waited with bated breath at where the professor took them to sleep with. 

“He brings them to the basement of the casino that Team Rocket ran. There’s a room there with a giant arena, and you’ll figure out what happens there when you see it.” 

“Okay, that is interesting. How do you get there?” 

“Behind the casino there’s a stairwell, you can get straight to the arena through there.” 

“Thanks! I’ll be off then.” 

Garrett left the bar, and pulled out the card that the bouncer handed him. It had the contact info for the bar, and a name and cell number for the bouncer if a patron needed help discreetly. On the back of the card, there was a message. 

‘Stop this now or you’ll regret it.’

The message wasn’t from the bouncer, as the man had nothing to lose from him continuing the investigation. The professor knew that he was looking into this, and Garrett wondered if Mitch also got the same message. He couldn’t believe that Mitch and Samuel both fucked the professor given the fact both of them knew what was going on with Team Rocket. 

He decided to hold off on going to the arena, as he needed to find out who the green bandana wearing man was and where the white haired recluse lived to get more information. Garrett pulled out his moleskine and put the card behind the picture of the professor. 

Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed the number for someone who he needed to speak with and waited for the phone to connect. 

“This is Mitch.”


	2. Chapter 2

After speaking with Mitch on the phone, Garrett quickly made his way to the local coffee shop that the other detective said he would be in a few minutes. Seeing this case through was his main goal and Garrett knew he would never be satisfied until he was able to get to the bottom of where the professor was during the time Team Rocket disbanded and his return to Celadon. Meeting with Mitch would allow him to get to the questions that were running around his brain. 

_What was Mitch thinking sleeping with the professor? How could he get entangled with the one person who may have intel on where Team Rocket and Giovanni had disappeared to?_

The flash of a tan trench coat outside the cafe windows caused Garrett to perk up and wave towards the entrance, catching the attention of the red haired man. The yellow streaks of Mitch’s hair seemed brighter under the warm lighting of the coffee shop as Garrett stood up for a brief hug. He hadn’t seen the other detective in quite a while, but the media kept him informed of the cases that he had solved. 

“It’s been too long Garrett, how have you been? I can’t say I was expecting you to call about this case.” Mitch drawled, sitting down opposite Garrett and took out a beat up notebook. 

“I’ve been doing well, just working whatever case piques my curiosity.” As he pulled out his own notebook, Garrett wanted to start off with some general questions before he got to the ones that were on the tip of his tongue. However, he wasn’t expecting Mitch to start off by explaining his relationship with the professor was. 

“I have slept with the professor and done so multiple times. However, at the time I wasn’t aware of who he was exactly.” Opening the beat up notebook to a page covered in notes, he scanned it quickly before turning it to another equally filled page. “By my count, at least three times a week whenever I had a case in Celadon. It was after the fourth week that a local officer mentioned to me how the Gym Leader returned but seemed different - “dazed” was his exact wording.” 

Garrett sat there in awe. It was one thing to learn that Mitch had slept with the professor multiple times without knowing who he was going to bed with, but a whole other shock to hear that it had been going on for a month. After a moment of pure disbelief, Garrett began taking notes that pertained to his investigation. There were bound to be topics that he didn’t need written down, as knowing just how many times this occurred would best be lost to the conversation. 

“After that comment, I did some digging into my bedmate, and once I realized who I had been seeing, I put a stop to it immediately. The most troubling thing is that the professor didn’t even notice my absence.” Mitch turned to another page, and carefully ripped it out of the notebook. “Here.” 

“What is it?” Garrett asked, taking the page and reading it over. 

“The extent of what I found out about Sharada before I stopped seeing him. His routines, habits, and local haunts both recreationally and professionally, if you catch my drift.” 

“I appreciate this. But why did you stop? From what I’ve heard, the professor is quite addicting once you’ve gotten involved with him.” Garrett folded the paper, and placed it in the back of his own notebook. He thumbed the card he received from the bartender growing impatient to ask the other detective about it. 

“It’s not like he’s a drug Garrett. Yes, the sex with him was quite enjoyable, that’s all it was.” Mitch paused, taking a moment to mull over his words carefully. “Hindsight is a terrible curse. Had I not been so wrapped up in my own head, on whatever case I needed some relief from, I would’ve seen how broken he was. I would’ve gotten him some help. But I didn’t.”

“It's not your fault he-” 

“I know that!” Mitch roared, causing those in the cafe to flinch and stare at the pair of them. Neither of them noticed or cared that they were now the center of attention. “I ignored it, I ignored every sign that something wasn’t quite right. I dismissed them because I was ‘too busy’ or that it ‘wasn’t a problem’. The nights he begged me to tie him up and use him however I wished, I enjoyed it. The night he had four other guys fuck him, I was the fifth. I just thought he was submitting for the hell of it, to get out of his head for a night like I was. I explained away all the signs that should’ve clued me in.” 

“Then why don’t you do something about it now? Help me figure out what happened while he was gone.” 

“I’ve got another case that I’m working on but if I hear anything that may help, I’ll let you know.” It was clear to Garrett that Mitch was wracked with guilt over this, and that there was something he wasn’t telling him. For all the years he knew Mitch and his work, something like his relationship with the professor wouldn’t stop him from being involved.

“That’s fair. I do have a couple more questions if you can spare a few more minutes.” Garrett pulled out the card and handed it to Mitch, “Be straight with me Mitch. I got this card before I even started any questioning on the professor. I know you’re not one to be threatened off a case, but while you were with him, did you get anything like this?” 

“No, and I would tell you if I had.” Mitch turned the card around and his eyes went wide at the name of the bar. “You got this from the bartender?” 

“The bouncer out front actually. He must’ve known who I was in order to give me that specific card, but I can’t figure out how he’d knew I’d be there.” Garrett mused out loud. Clearly when he arrived the professor was not in the bar, but the bouncer gave him the card before he even entered or asked him a single question. What did the professor mean that he’d regret it?

“I can’t say. Sharada is…. a man of many faces. I have seen him outside of our rendezvous a few times. From what I have seen, he handles the Gym with a clear passion for the Grass type and battling. His relationships with his co-workers, while a bit strained at first, have returned to normal. His students still find his lectures engaging but challenging. I’d wager that Sharada has been hiding his true self from all of them and acts based on what he feels is needed for the situation.” 

Garrett sat there and took a few notes based on what Mitch was saying about the professor. It seemed like all of his earlier reports were true. It was as if everything returned to normal for Sharada, but that there were some new habits being developed such as visiting the bar and sleeping with numerous men. 

“If anything, it sounds like he’s addicted and with Team Rocket disbanded, he is going through withdrawals.” The brown haired man explained, finishing the page of notes he was working on and closing the notebook. “You’ve given me a lot to work with Mitch and I appreciate the help. Before I go, do you know anything of an ‘outlaw in green’?” 

Mitch laughed and shook his head slightly, “Yeah, he’s Clyde. You go back to that bar in a few nights and he should be there.” 

“Again, thank you. I’ll keep an eye out for Clyde and the professor. Let me know if you run into him here soon.” 

Mitch nodded and left Garrett alone at the table in the cafe. He sat there and spent a moment reflecting on just what he found out. Clearly the professor was going through a bad case of withdrawals, and on top of it, was trying to feed that addiction. The professor had lost a place where he was needed, and the lack of stability must have had deeper effect on the man. 

Garrett sighed and stood up, gathering his belongings and made his way to the exit of the cafe. Before he could grab the door handle to leave, his phone began ringing. When he pulled it out, the number came up as ‘unknown’. Deciding to answer it, he stepped outside for some privacy. 

“Hello Detective.” a man’s voice said on the line, “I see you haven’t given up on me. I wish you would.” 

“Professor, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Nothing. I just wanted you to know that Team Rocket is still alive and well. They’ll be back for me soon so stop trying to ‘help’ me.” The call ended right after the professor stopped speaking.

**Author's Note:**

> No idea, I got new characters to work with so I'm trying to flesh them out.


End file.
